Ever After
by Teh Trickster
Summary: Even though Galbatorix has been defeated, the land of Alagaesia is still not safe. An assassination attempt on the new King leaves the royal family and country shaken, and wondering whether there is such a thing as Peace.


**Hi guys! Welcome to the first chapter of "Ever After"! I'm Celebrian Tinuviel, and this is my second story in the Eragon fandom. Please feel free to comment on my writing, especially the aspects that you do not like, because as a writer, I do want to improve on my writing. Thank you for taking the time to read and review my story, I really appreciate it!**

** Basically, this story is set after Galbatorix has been defeated, and the remaining characters who have survived are now trying to rebuild their lives as well as the country. I have included references to some of the canon characters in the Inheritance Trilogy, see if you guys can tell who I'm talking about! A few of the canon characters would be making an appearance in the next chapter, so look out for that.**

**Once again, thank you for your time, and have a nice day.**

**Oh yes, before I forget, this is my disclaimer. The canon characters and the world of Alagaesia do not belong to me, but to Christopher Paolini. **

Chapter 1

It was a cool and windy day. There was hardly any sun, the sun preferring to hide behind the white fluffy clouds scattered in the blue sky. Niena raised her head and smiled, letting a breeze blow over her face. She was lucky to be outside at this point in time, helping to get rid of weeds in the garden with five other girls. She wished her best friend Rena was with them, because Rena could do with some nice fresh air. Unfortunately for Rena, she was cooped up in the orphanage library, probably sneezing away as she helped the librarian sort out books. According to Rena, a new shipment would be coming into the Orphanage library, and she had begged to be allowed to sort out the new books. Niena could not help smiling as she remembered Rena's actions that day; she had been so excited that she had literally been jumping around.

It was probably going to be lunch soon though, and she was sure that the governess would call them in. Oh well, at least she had the chance to enjoy the weather until it lasted. At that moment, she heard footsteps on the patch of grass behind them, and she turned around to see the Orphanage Governess right behind her. The Governess was a small, rounded figure, a whole head smaller than Niena, and she seem to favour flowered aprons, because she always wore one every single day. Today, her apron was embroidered with pink and yellow carnations. Her hair was a mousy brown done up in a bun, with a few white strands peeping out. "All right girls, you can come in now," she announced in a loud, cheerful voice. "It's almost time for lunch."

The rest of the girls cheered at the prospect of lunch and got to their feet. Niena almost groaned, she wanted to stay out longer, but she knew that she did not want to be disobedient, especially since disobedient girls were kicked out of the Orphanage and sent . . . somewhere else. Niena had heard from different girls who had friends sent off that the disobedient girls in that special place were actually treated quite nicely, though not as well as they were treated here, and certainly they did not have the same amount of freedom that they enjoyed here She certainly did not want to risk being sent away, specially since she would not have Rena for company.

Speaking of Rena, she had better go and fetch her otherwise she would miss lunch. She went indoors and tore up the stairs to the third level, where the library was located. The whole orphanage compound consisted of three levels, the first contained the eating area, the second level the dormitories, and the third, the classrooms and the library. There were bathing areas on all three levels, though there were not enough for all fifty girls, inclusive of the matron who stayed overnight with them, so the girls took turns bathing every two days. It could not be helped of course; there was so little space. However, most of the girls did prefer to swim in the stream, so at least they managed to keep themselves clean every day.

Sure enough, Rena was in the library, sitting at one of the rough, wooden tables, thumbing though a huge book as thick as her hand. She looked up when she heard the sound of Niena's footsteps on the rough stone floor and beamed at her. "Isn't this a treasure!" she whispered reverently. "It's such a rare find, we're so lucky to receive it! I wonder how someone could actually part with this."

"What book is that?" Niena bent forward to look at it, then flipped the cover back up. "The Dominance of Fate," she read aloud, and then turned to look in surprise in Rena. "I've never heard of it before. Anyway, it's time for lunch, we have to go down now."

"Okay." Reluctantly, Rena closed the book and shelved it in the place set aside for it before heading out of the library along with Niena. "I barely got to read any of it," Rena admitted. "I'll definitely go back later, I just have to read it."

"Who wrote it?" Niena asked.

"Heslant the Monk," answered Rena. "He was burned at the stake for heresy." She winced. "I guess Galbatorix didn't want anybody writing bad things about him. His books were burnt along with him. That's why this book is so rare, most of the copies in existence have already been burned away."

The girls walked to their bunks to fetch their cutlery. The moment they were registered as occupants of the Orphanage, they were each given a plate, bowl, cup, fork, spoon, and knife, which they used to eat their meals. After that, they would wash them in the stream and store them in their boxes, ready for their next meal. The utensils were made of wood of course; it was the cheapest material they could find, and it was mostly the peasants and poorer folk who used them. The Orphanage survived on donations, and though the girls were able to live in reasonable comfort, it was with the barest minimum that they were able to do so.

Upon reaching the canteen, the girls were excited to see three large, copper pots in the front of the room, emitting smells that whetted the appetite of everyone in the room. Niena even felt her mouth starting to water; it had seemed like a long time since they had breakfast after being hard at work during the entire morning. There was a squeal and a sudden rush towards the pots, and Niena grabbed Rena's arm and dragged her to a place in the queue. Not bad, they were fast enough this time; there were thirteen girls in front of them, most of them being the younger occupants. There was hardly any furniture in the room, and there were only two doors, one leading from the garden and the other from the right hand side of the stairs. There was a window at the side of the room, from which the sunlight from the garden poured into the room. The floor, the ceiling, and the walls were all made from stone, though the floor was covered with a wooden mat for the comfort of the girls. There was a faded rug in the centre of the room, though none of the girls were allowed to sit on it. It was meant mainly for visitors, in particular, those who donated to the Orphanage. There were rumours that the first person who had sat on it was the King himself, when he had just been newly crowned and the Orphanage had just been established.

Soon, both Niena and Rena had managed to get their food and they headed towards the wall on their right, sitting just directly opposite the window so that they would see out of it. Lunch was delicious as usual, pounded roast meat in a dark gravy and scattered with herbs with a few carrots and tomatoes on the side, along with a bowl of potato stew and a cupful of freshly boiled water. For five minutes, none of the girls spoke to each other, they were too busy eating.

Finally, after eating about half the food on her plate, Niena turned to Rena. "We're going to be sixteen in three months time, and we'll have to leave the Orphanage. Have you decided on what you want to do yet?"

Rena sighed. "I'm scared of leaving the Orphanage. We have been reasonably comfortable here, and I'm not sure whether we'll be this comfortable when we're working adults. We are much luckier now than in Galbatorix's time, orphans were immediately killed the moment they were found. Thankfully, our new King is much nicer, and we actually have a chance to survive."

"It's strange," Niena mused. "We were born two years before Galbatorix was defeated, yet we were able to survive. In fact, there are about three other girls our age as well. I wonder what happened. Do you remember anything from Galbatorix's reign? I can't seem to remember anything, I was far too young."

"Same here," Rena replied. "I can't seem to remember anything either. All I remember was being in a dark place with people crying."

"At least, you remember more than I do," Niena told her. There was silence for a while, as the girls finished the last of their meat, before Niena spoke again. "We still have three months to think about it anyway. Oh yes, tomorrow is the dragon-egg' ceremony. Are you looking forward to it?"

Rena literally beamed. "Of course! I really want to see the royal family! They always look so grand on public occasions. I mean, they do dress quite simply, but they always seem so grand. Did you know that the present King is actually the son of the most powerful Forsworn under Galbatorix?"

Niena looked surprised. "Really? I just assumed that he was Galbatorix's son or something."

Rena burst out laughing. "Niena, you really should read more!" Niena scowled and turned to her food, but did not say anything. She really hated it when Rena ended up humiliating her like this, simply because she did not read as much as she ran around outside. How on earth did they manage to survive being best friends for fourteen years? Sure, Rena had her good points, but still, it was times like these that made Niena want to soak Rena's head in the stream.

It also helped that Niena and Rena looked very different from each other. Niena was tall for her age, with long, straight blond hair that reached down to her back, and bright blue eyes. She was reasonably thin, having worked long hours outside in addition to running around in her spare time. Her hands were calloused from work, but they were long and tapered, and most girls said that she had an aristocratic look to her. It made her wonder who exactly was her parents, and if they were so rich, why she was dumped in the Orphanage. Maybe they had been killed or something, Galbatorix was not known to be kind to his nobles. The only thing she did not like about herself was that her lips were too thin and her nose too pointed, it probably contributed to the aristocratic image she seemed to have.

Rena, on the other hand, looked more down to earth. She was short, and slightly on the plump side. She had dark, wavy brown hair slightly past shoulder-length and dark brown eyes. Her fingers were stubbier than Niena's but they were not as calloused, since most of the time she was inside helping the Governess do paperwork or helping the librarian sort books. Rena looked like she had the same status as most of the other girls in the Orphanage.

Rena took a deep breath, and then turned to Niena. "Erm . . . Niena . . . could you do me a favour tomorrow?" She seemed to sense that Niena was displeased with her, because her hands were twisting with the white cotton apron tied around her waist. This was the standard clothes the girls were given in the Orphanage, three sets of green cotton dresses and two aprons. The girls were expected to wash their own clothes every week, so they normally changed their clothes every three days. They were allowed to approach the Governess for new dresses though, if they outgrew their dresses or if they were too torn to be wearable and beyond repair.

Niena immediately looked at Rena with a concerned expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

Rena sighed. "I'm scared for tomorrow. Tomorrow's the dragon egg ceremony and I'm scared of . . . being alone on that day. Could you stand with me?"

Niena looked surprised. "We'll all be standing together on that day itself, won't we?" She grabbed Rena's hands and pulled them off her apron. "Stop that, you're getting your apron all crumpled up."

Rena smiled sheepishly and placed her hands on the floor instead. "It's just that . . . but when we walk past the dragon eggs, we'll have to be alone. Could you walk with me?"

"We're not allowed to do that," Niena told Rena, gently. "We have to be alone with the dragon eggs, otherwise they won't be able to tell who the egg hatched for." She smiled suddenly, as an idea struck her. "I know! I could go first, and then you go right after I finish. That way, you can keep your eyes on me and you won't be scared of the amount of people there."

Rena smiled gratefully. "That'll be great. Thanks!"

Niena herself could barely keep from jumping around whenever she though of what would happen tomorrow. Tomorrow was the dragon egg ceremony, and this time, instead of watching, they were expected to take part. They were each expected to parade past the dragon eggs in the hope that one of the eggs would hatch for them. Normally, all the eggs would hatch on that day itself and at least ten new candidates would be added to the ranks of the dragon riders. Niena sighed, she would love to be the owner of a dragon, imagine flying in the sky on the back of a great winged beast, feeling the wind whipping past her figure and being able to look down to see what is going on below from such a height! It would practically be a dream come true for her, to be allowed to do things that would benefit Alagaesia. Yet, what if she were not chosen? What would happen to her? Would she still be able to create a great impact on Alagaesian society if she was just a typical workingwoman? She had very little chance of being picked for a dragon rider though, ten children out of a hundred, including selected Elvin children. What chance did she have? She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She should not worry about such things, tomorrow would come soon enough. To take her mind of such thoughts, she glanced over at Rena and saw that she was rather pale. "Rena, are you okay?" she asked in concern.

Rena gave a sheepish smile. "I'm fine," she said softly. "It's just that I'm worried about tomorrow, as well as the year after that, when we finally leave the orphanage." She looked pleadingly at Niena. "Where will you be going?"

Niena shrugged, trying to be offhand about it. "I don't know, I haven't decided yet. I'm still hoping to be a dragon rider but if I don't get that, then I don't know what I'm going to do." She grinned suddenly. "Maybe I could be an adventurer or something! At least it would be an alternative, though I really would prefer to be a dragon rider."

Rena smiled at her friend. "I'm sure you'll make a great dragon rider! Look at you; you're so active, brave and confident! Unlike me, I cannot even talk properly in front of other people."

Niena squeezed her friend's shoulders. "Don't be silly! Both of us are good at different things, you're more scholarly than I am. Me, I can barely sit still during class, and that is already during the first lesson of the day." She grinned. "I guess I'm just too active. You, on the other hand, would be perfect for the Alagaesia archives! You'll get to do all the research you want to your hearts content."

Now, Rena was starting to be cheered up. "I'd love to work under the archives! There's so much information to learn, especially during the Galbatorix era and even before that!"

Niena stood up, walked to the window and gazed out. Sure enough, the shadow of the gatepost on the ground was one inch longer that it had originally been when they started eating. "It'll be time for lessons soon, let's wash our stuff."

"Okay," Rena said. Both girls stood up and collected their cutlery, before making their way towards the stream located just inside the Orphanage. That part of the stream was fenced into the Orphanage grounds, so that it was safe for the girls to swim and wash their stuff there. It was quite a big stream, as many as twenty girls could fit inside there in order to fill it. The girls knelt down by the stream between two other girls and began washing their cutlery. "Niena . . ." Rena began again. "We'll always stay in touch, won't we?"

Niena literally beamed at her friend. It was such a relief knowing that no matter what happened, she would still have Rena to talk to, even if they were not in the same place. "Of course,  
she replied. "We're best friends, aren't we?"

"Yes," Rena grinned back. "We are. Not even death would be able to separate us." Both girls smiled and fell silent in remembrance. A few years ago, they had made a pact that they would be buried together in the same area, with their families around them if they ever decided to get married.

Once they finished their washing, they got up and walked towards the Orphanage to keep their utensils and get ready for lessons. Niena felt contented and smiled to herself as she watched Rena talking excitedly about what lessons could be about that day. She really was one of the luckiest people around, and she hoped that she would always be as lucky for the rest of her life.


End file.
